Ten-Year Review: Non-signatory Iran acknowledges the humanitarian concerns raised by cluster munitions, but has not taken any steps to accede to the convention due to various long-held objections. Iran participated in a meeting of the convention once, in 2011. Iran abstained from voting on a key United Nations (UN) resolution promoting the convention in December 2019.

Iran is not known to have used cluster munitions, but it has imported them and may have also produced them. Iran likely stockpiled cluster munitions, but it has not shared information on the types and quantities in its possession.

Policy

The Islamic Republic of Iran has not acceded to the Convention on Cluster Munitions.

Iran has acknowledged the humanitarian concerns raised by cluster munitions, but has not taken any steps to accede to the convention due to various long-standing objections.[1] In October 2019, Iran repeated its criticism of the process that created the convention for “bypassing the United Nations disarmament machinery” which it said showed “disregard” for the interests and concerns of states that did not participate.[2] In order “to be effective” it has said, a convention to regulate cluster munitions must include “the major producers and former users of these munitions.”[3]

Iran has also objected to certain provisions of the convention, such as Article 21 on joint military operations with states not party.[4]

Iran did not participate in the Oslo Process that created the convention.

Iran attended the convention’s Second Meeting of States Parties in Beirut, Lebanon in September 2011 as an observer.[5] This remains its only participation in a meeting of the convention. Iran was invited to, but did not attend, the Ninth Meeting of States Parties in September 2019.

In December 2019, Iran abstained from the vote on a UN General Assembly (UNGA) resolution, which urges states outside the convention to “join as soon as possible.”[6] Iran has abstained from voting on the annual UNGA resolution since it was first introduced in 2015.[7]

Iran is not party to the Mine Ban Treaty nor the Convention on Conventional Weapons.

Use

Iran is not known to have used cluster munitions.

Cluster munitions were used in Iran during the Iran-Iraq War in 1980–1988.[8] According to one source, during the war Iraq used air-dropped cluster bombs in 1984 against Iranian troops.[9] A United States (US) Navy aircraft used 18 Mk-20 Rockeye bombs in attacks on Iranian Revolutionary Guard speedboats and an Iranian Navy ship on 18 April 1988.[10]

Production

There is evidence that Iran may produce cluster munitions.

Several western media outlets have claimed that Iran’s domestically produced rockets and missiles may include a submunition variant, such as the Zolfaghar short-range ballistic missile.[11] Iran has reportedly displayed “a variant of the Fateh missile with 30 submunitions, each weighing approximately 20 pounds” while “other Iranian missiles known to be equipped with submunitions include the long-range Ghadr and the medium-range Qiam.”[12] Iran produces various types of unguided 122mm, 240mm, and 333mm rockets, but it is not known if these include submunition payloads.[13]

Transfer and stockpiling

Iran has imported cluster munitions and likely has a stockpile, but has never shared information on the types and quantities possessed. Jane’s Information Group lists Iran as possessing KMGU dispensers that deploy submunitions, PROSAB-250 cluster bombs, and United Kingdom (UK)-made BL755 cluster bombs.[14] Additionally, Iran possesses Grad 122mm surface-to-surface rockets.[15]